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    Buffering and facilitative factors for posttraumatic stress and flourishing among New Zealand Defence Force personnel : a longitudinal study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024-11-01) Bryson (Allen), Daniel
    Substantial heterogeneity exists in individual responses to trauma. Reactions to operational deployments by service personnel appear to be no exception. The present research has sought to explore the links that potentially traumatic deployment experiences (PTDEs) have with posttraumatic stress (PTS) and flourishing. Further, the impacts of adaptive health behaviours (physical activity, nutrition, and sleep) and social support (from close others or from military leadership) upon the relationships that PTDEs have with PTS and flourishing were explored. Surveys were conducted 3 years apart with 313 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) postdeployment personnel and reports were analysed. A positive relationship was found between PTDEs and PTS, and a nonsignificant relationship between PTDEs and flourishing. Significant associations were also found between 1) adaptive health behaviours, social support, and leadership support, and 2) PTS and flourishing, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Mixed support was found for the moderating effects of social support and adaptive health behaviours on the relationships that PTDEs had with PTS and flourishing. Finally, PTS was found to moderate the relationship between PTDEs and flourishing. Conclusions on how the present findings converge and build upon past research, and the unique contributions of leadership support, as well as the effects of PTS on the relationship between PTDEs with flourishing, are discussed.
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    Experiences of women of colour who were third culture kids or internationally mobile youth : an exploratory study of implications for global leadership development : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Chatiya Nantham, Rhema Roja
    Global leadership development programmes (GLDPs) are typically focussed on competency development and teaching culturally appropriate etiquette, but, adapting to new contexts often involves challenges to people’s sense of self, addressing an area which is known as identity work. Learning from people who encountered such challenges early in life could assist in developing global leaders by offering insights into the kinds of identity work strategies needed to deal with their offshore posting, and to ensure that identity work processes are designed into such programmes. To address these aims, this study draws on the lived experiences of nine women of colour who lived outside their home country as children or adolescents, a cohort known as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), to identify various identity-related issues they encountered and the lessons these experiences offer for global leadership development. As such, this interdisciplinary study draws on and contributes to literatures related to TCKs and Adult TCKs (ATCKs), global leadership development, and identity work for leadership development. This qualitative study comprised a series of workshops designed specifically to foster identity work amongst the participants. The data was collected via virtual focus group discussions. The study adopted a combination of participatory and emancipatory action research approaches, underpinned by a social constructionist epistemology and is theoretically informed by Critical Race Feminism, anti-racist feminisms, and identity theory as key influences. These decisions reflect the aim of centring attention on a cohort routinely understudied in the TCK, global leadership development and leadership development literatures, namely women of colour. The findings were thematically analysed via an inductive approach to identify the experiences and identity work strategies of participants as TCKs in response to the racist-sexist prejudices they encountered, their implicit leadership theories and their approach to leadership, showing how the focus group process was itself a vehicle for doing identity work in relationship to their leader identities. I identify the lessons that can be drawn from TCKs, and from the methods used in this study, to inform the deployment of identity work in GLDPs. From these findings, I develop frameworks explaining the identity work processes experienced by TCKs and how they internalised their leadership identity via the methods used in my study and build models for GLDPs from these insights.
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    The relationship between organisational context and work-life balance of employees in New Zealand : a quantitative study using social exchange theory : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2022) Malenga, Josephine
    Work-life balance (WLB) is often a determining factor in terms of employee retention, commitment, and satisfaction. Demographic changes such as the increase of women in the labour force, ageing populations and family structures, have resulted in employees shifting their lifestyle focus from solely work to catering to their non-work activities as well. This has also evolved the relationship between employee and employer. According to social exchange theory (SET), the employment relationship is built on the rule of reciprocity where employee attitudes and behaviours are influenced by expected benefits or fulfilment of needs. This thesis will address the application of SET to WLB by investigating how the concepts of perceived organisational support (POS), employee engagement (defined as organisational and job engagement) and the psychological contract (PC) interact with WLB. The primary research design used in this study is a cross-sectional correlational survey. The target participants were New Zealand (NZ) based individuals employed in various fields and positions. A total of 114 fully completed surveys were analysed using the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) technique. To help further explore key findings from the quantitative analysis, semi-structured qualitative interviews with a diversity expert, a senior human resource professional, and a human resource professor provided valuable insights with which to triangulate and extend the survey findings. POS was found to influence all the PC dimensions and WLB. Organisational engagement did not have any influence on either the PC dimensions or WLB, while job engagement had a negative influence on WLB. This presents concerns for employers on how attachment to the organisation may or may not impact areas other than WLB, such as turnover and organisational citizenship behaviour. The only PC dimensions with an influence on WLB were those related to job content and the respect for private life. The study offers a framework on how the context that the organisation offers impacts employees’ perceptions of WLB. The implication that there is a link between what employees expect and how they relate to WLB demonstrates the importance for practitioners to take a more personalised approach around WLB practices if they are to be effective.
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    The social well-being of women officers who have left the New Zealand Army : "I haven't seen any advantages to being female" : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Management, Massey Business School, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Nelson, Ellen Joan
    Society is recognising the benefits of gender diversity in leadership teams and considerable research exists to support this (Boulton, 2017; Buckingham, 2014; Egnell, 2013; Escobar, 2013; Hoogendoorn, Oosterbeek, & van Praag, 2013; Hunt, Layton, & Prince, 2014; MOD, 2014; Morenzo-Gomez, Lafuente, & Vaillant, 2018; Parsons, 2018). Sexual harassment and bullying is at the forefront of many conversations worldwide, following in particular, the #metoo movement. The NZ Army and the wider NZ Defence Force is no exception, and has come under fire in recent years for it treatment of women (Lawrence, 2018a, 2018b; Livingston, 2017; RadioNZ, 2018; Weekes, 2016). Despite the NZ Army lifting all gender related restrictions in 2000, the proportion of women has remained stagnant at around 13% (Parsons, 2018; Weekes, 2002) for the past two decades. This research examines the social well-being of women officers who have left the NZ Army. A case study approach was used, utilising three forms of data; NZ Army recruiting video advertisements, insider research as I am a member of this group, and interviews with 20 ex-serving women officers. The research is framed with the theoretical concept of social well-being (Keyes, 1998) and this is integrated with the theoretical concepts of authentic leadership and embodied leadership. It was found that recruiting material used during the 1990s and 2000s focused on men. Men were consistently observed doing more physical and command related tasks compared to women. While all of the interviewed women spoke positively about their overall experience in the NZ Army and were all thankful for the opportunities and training received, a number of challenges were identified and discussed. Many of the women officers experienced or observed harassment and gender discrimination. The women identified that the NZ Army trains and forces its leaders to adopt a masculine approach to leadership. In contrast, almost all of the women interviewed conceptualised and exercised leadership in a more feminine manner. Conflict existed, as the women’s feminine approaches were not always valued. This reduced their social well-being and many of the women felt pressured to be more masculine, and therefore, lead in a manner that was less authentic to them. Women officers were judged on their physical appearance which includes their dress and grooming and their physique. Physical performance had an even bigger impact on their social well-being as the NZ Army appears to be very unforgiving of people with low levels of physical performance. This was a particular issue for women with injuries and women struggling with their fitness following the return from maternity leave. All of these findings provide significant evidence to suggest that the NZ Army does not provide an environment that generates social well-being for women officers. This leads to many women officers being worn down and eventually leaving, and therefore does not support the NZ Army’s desire to recruit and retain more women, continuing to limit diversity at the senior level. Recommendations to the NZ Army include: broader representation of women in recruiting advertisements, safer channels for making complaints, a review of the masculine leadership approaches taught at training establishments, introduction of camouflage uniform that fit women’s bodies, and better integration back to physical activities following maternity leave.
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    Corporate approaches to human sustainability : workforce wellbeing in large Japanese companies : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Kobayashi, Kazunori
    Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have become widely researched fields. In recent years, there has been a growing social concern about issues affecting workforce wellbeing and human sustainability. However, little is known about how companies resolve these issues. In particular, there is a dearth of empirical research in these fields examining how companies address workforce wellbeing and human sustainability issues under increasing social pressures. To fill this knowledge gap, this exploratory study examines how large Japanese companies address these issues. It is positioned within a social constructionism/interpretivism paradigm and employs qualitative research methodology, drawing upon interviews with managers from 31 companies, as well as their stakeholders and informants. The study begins by examining workforce wellbeing and human sustainability initiatives promoted by large Japanese companies. It identifies four interconnected areas addressed as integral parts of CSR practices: gender equality, flexibility at work, regulating overwork, and productivity improvement. However, while companies promote initiatives under increasing social pressures, they find it difficult to incorporate the initiatives into CSR strategy due to emerging dilemmas. Next, the study explores the business-society interface in which companies face these dilemmas. It identifies nine factors which constrain the implementation of human sustainability initiatives. The evidence indicates that these factors constitute the underlying system of responsibilities that characterises the existing workstyle, leading to externalised overwork and gendered roles in Japanese society. Finally, the study examines how some companies implement human sustainability initiatives as part of their business strategies, even within these constraints. The evidence shows that these companies seek to proactively align core business practices with human sustainability initiatives, in order to enhance business performance over the long run. The findings also suggest that companies seek to proactively engage with key stakeholders to work through existing stakeholders’ expectations. Overall, the outcomes of this thesis elucidate a conceptual framework of the corporate approaches to workforce wellbeing and human sustainability, incorporating the roles of key stakeholders. This may assist scholars and practitioners to address issues affecting workforce wellbeing and human sustainability more effectively within a given social context. Hence, the contributions of this study are both theoretical and empirical.
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    A study of management selection practices in New Zealand : submitted in partial fulfillment towards the degree of Masters in Business Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 1981) Lim, Toh Eng
    Management selection is perhaps the most important personnel function of any organisation.¹The term "management selection" refers to the selection of managers of all levels in an organisation. The selection methods to be identified are applicable for the selection of junior, middle or senior level managers. For it is the managers who will largely determine the success or otherwise of an organisation. Therefore it is important that an organisation should select its managers using a reliable and valid selection procedure. A literature review of the personnel practices indicates that no study has been reported about the management selection methods used by New Zealand organisations. To fill in this information gap, a mail questionnaire survey was carried out. Of central importance to any selection method is the ability to assess the qualities or characteristics required of managers for successful job performance. What are the qualities the New Zealand personnel manager regards as important for an aspiring manager to suceed? The research attempts to provide some answers to this question. [From Preface]
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    The people dimension of change management for small-to-medium organisations in the New Zealand business environment : a 90 credit research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Masters of Business Studies at Massey University, Albany
    (Massey University, 2017) Stephens, Heather
    Change occurs recurrently in business organisation. Change Management (CM) is the instrument that guides how the organisation formulates, prepares and supports employees to effectively accept changes in order to drive organisational accomplishments and results. The aim of this research is to explore the people dimension of CM. This study took a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 10 employees from a small-to-medium enterprise (SME) and three employees from a large-sized organisation. Whilst there is a range of literature on CM, this research seeks to address gaps within that body of literature relating to the importance of including people when making changes within an organisation. It highlights the necessity of giving thought to people for any successful change implementation. People are at the core of an organisation and without them collectively on board with the change, the implementation of the new process could be put in risk of failing. The key findings identified six major themes regarding the people dimension of CM: communication, culture, resistance, conflict, change leadership and empowerment. Communication is a key component in the change process. Many participants in the study reported that the change plan was communicated to them by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who they felt was open and transparent through the whole process. Organisational culture comes in the form of shared beliefs and values. It is the commonly accepted behaviours in an organisation and the way one behaves and conducts oneself. Some participants felt that the culture of the organisation has changed however, they felt that it still needs to progress to being one of change ready. Resistance can come in many forms and this brings with it a lot of emotional reactions to change. If left unchecked, resistance to the change process can put the whole programme at risk and therefore potentially damage the organisation. Conflict can happen when a person feels that they have not been heard or feel unsupported through the process. The idea around conflict is to not make it about personal issues and focus on what is best for all concerned. However, conflict can also be seen as being important in that it is a pointer for detecting faulty processes and therefore become an indicator for corrective action to be taken by change leaders and senior management. Change Leadership findings were that managers were aware of the need to be supportive of employees and transition them into the change plan thereby valuing open and clear communications with everyone involved. Employee feedback is an integral part of the change process as employees can feel empowered in that they feel heard. It was also found that empowerment can come through social interactions at work situations and not just through the pay and reward systems. This report focuses on how to successfully implement change, not only through leadership but also employee empowerment and targeting behaviours as an effective driver for reconfiguring the organisation. It will discuss the theoretical implications as well as the extent to which the study addresses some identified research questions. Then it will discuss workplace policy implications on CM and if there are any learning for CM and Human Resource (HR) professionals. These implications predominantly relate to an increased awareness to value people when designing and implementing a change process in today’s SMEs in New Zealand (NZ). It also discusses the methodological implications arising from to the semi-structured interview design used in this study. This report concludes with a summary of the people dimension of CM for SMEs in the NZ business environment.
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    Antecedents and outcomes of personnel perceptions of the effectiveness of career management practices in the New Zealand Defence Force : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2007) White, Stephanie Nicole
    This research examined antecedents and outcomes of perceptions of the effectiveness of career management practices (PECMP) using a military sample. Past research has shown mixed results regarding the relationship between experiencing career management practices and organisational commitment and turnover intentions; however positive relationships have been found when perceptions of career management are measured. This present study hypothesised that PECMP would be positively related to commitment (affective and continuance) and job satisfaction and negatively related to turnover intentions. Based on the literature a number of variables were hypothesised as antecedents of PECMP. A sample of 436 Regular Force New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel responded to a NZDF attitude survey, which measured commitment, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, PECMP and 13 proposed antecedents of PECMP. Regression analysis showed that PECMP was positively related to affective commitment and job satisfaction but not to continuance commitment. Job satisfaction and affective and continuance commitment were negatively related to turnover intentions, with affective commitment the strongest contributor. PECMP was higher when career management was perceived as fair, sufficient feedback was given, personnel felt satisfied with their past career development, expectations were met, personnel felt they had input into their career development and personnel perceived the NZDF valued their career development. The study also found that one-to-two times per year was perceived as sufficient contact with a career manager and that the frequency of contact influenced attitudes towards the career manager. Personnel who defined their career as the military, opposed to their trade, were more affectively committed to the NZDF but not less likely to intend to leave. Personnel viewed career success differently (laterally and hierarchically), but this did not influence PECMP or career development satisfaction. This study provides empirical support for the benefits of effective career management in the reduction of voluntary turnover in the military via its influence on affective commitment and in turn, intentions to leave. The study also identifies features of best practice career management that should be used when designing and, most importantly, implementing career management.
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    Leadership and employee engagement in the New Zealand dairy farming industry - is there a link with milk production performance? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Rolfe, Christina
    This study sought to investigate which leadership styles were more effective at increasing employee engagement and/or overall milk production performance in the context of the New Zealand (NZ) dairy farming industry. This study also sought to investigate whether psychological needs satisfaction mediated the relationships between leadership styles and employee engagement. A cross-sectional self-report survey was used to collect data. Results indicated that transformational-contingent reward leadership was related to higher levels of employee engagement, while passive-avoidant leadership, management by exception active, and destructive leadership styles were all negatively related to employee engagement. Satisfaction of the need for autonomy was found to fully mediate the relationship between transformational-contingent reward leadership and employee engagement, between passive-avoidant leadership and employee engagement, and also between destructive leadership and employee engagement. None of the independent variables were found to have significant relationships with overall milk production performance. Theoretical and practical implications for effective leadership styles are discussed along with recommendations for future research.
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    Sharing the power : knowledge management, empowerment, employee self service and the NZDF : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Information Systems at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2003) Williams, Richard
    This thesis investigated employee views of the Defence Kiosk System (DKS) through a questionnaire, and compared the results with two empowerment methodologies. These methodologies were Spreitzer and Quinn's Five Disciplines For Empowerment, and Horibe's Employee Decision Making methodology. The DKS is the Employee Self Service (ESS) system of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). The DKS is a web-based system that employees can use to access their personal records, thereby empowering employees to access their own personnel information and removing the need for them to ask human resources related questions of their administration unit. This provides the NZDF with administrative savings and accurate up to date information that can be used for Knowledge Management (KM). The research begins with a literature review. The literature review established links between Empowerment, KM and ESS. It found that for ESS systems to provide benefits employees must be willing to use them. A questionnaire was developed and sent to a sample of 1000 NZDF employees who had access to the DKS. The response was 350 completed and returned questionnaires, which exceeded the 180 responses required to enable the results to be generalised for the entire NZDF population. Analysis of the questionnaire responses showed that employees believe that the DKS, as an ESS system, meets their personnel information needs and that they were willing to use the DKS. When the results of the survey were compared with the empowerment methodologies the research supported Spreitzer and Quinn's five disciplines model, particularly the fourth and fifth disciplines. The results raised questions about the suitability of using Horibe's employee decision making methodology in the field of personnel management, especially with the advent of employee self sefvice systems.